Christmas dialog between Santa Claus and his assistant

“Good morning, Pekka,” says Santa Claus as he gets up from the bench to welcome me with a handshake. Santa’s hand is big, and the handshake is firm but soft and kind.

Santa Claus: “I hope you are sleeping tight. I’d like to welcome you to this conversation with me. You have served as my enthusiastic assistant for many years, and you have written many stories before Christmas. It’s time to sit down and have a dialog in peace and with no haste. How many stories are there exactly?”

Pekka: “I started in 2015, and I’ve written one story per year. Now, there are seven of them...” I mumble with excitement, turn to the other side and slide my left hand under the pillow. “I believe this will be number eight.”

S.C.: “I can see that you are interested in philosophical reflection, the definitions and relativity of good and evil, the meaning of life, and the nature and meaning of the universe. Morals as well as the rights, duties, and responsibilities of people and humankind also play a role in your stories. I was thinking that we could talk about all that in no specific order. We can, as you say, ruminate a little bit,” says Santa Claus.

P.: “The world, the human world to be exact, seems to be on a downward spiral. All of us as individuals, at least in the Western countries, are supposedly doing good deeds for each other, our society, other nations as well as the world and the life on it. On the world and global level, it can be difficult to distinguish the results if the choices of people and countries were guided by selfishness and self-interest in all most all situations. Even at Christmas, giving material gifts that add to the abundance of our loved ones is emphasized in comparison to small donations for different purposes. I think there is a strong sense of an indulgence or confession for an attempt to forgive ourselves for the passing year and to gain permission to continue the same way for the next 364 days.”

S.C.: “The part where you mentioned forgiving “ourselves” sounded interesting. Doesn’t that also apply to you? If we detach ourselves from Christianity, in one of your stories, you defined me, Santa Claus, as the “you” that is striving for better. In other words, every human-being has a longing, hope, and desire to be a better person. An aspiration towards some higher level of humanity – to be good, whatever the “good” may be. This is pursued everywhere, and Santa Claus is only one symbol for this perpetual pursuit. And then to my question: What do you do differently to justify criticizing others and commonly disapproving humankind and humanity?

P.: “You hit the nail on a very sensitive head. I have thought about that myself – on several occasions. I don’t have a good answer to that. I do think that what could separate me from the majority ever so slightly is the fact that I recognize my imperfections. I acknowledge the fact that as I point my finger at others, there are three fingers pointing at me. But of course, the Christmas gifts and confessions serve that exact purpose for all people. People know that they are imperfect. A person that is aware of their imperfections is capable of being remorseful and sorry. For some reason, we are incapable of only doing good and what’s right.

S.C.: “So, your response is that there is no difference between you and other people?

P.: “I guess so. To get back to your question – I don’t just see a person or the humankind as a being that is susceptible to double standards and hypocrisy, and as a being that is imperfect in so many other ways. There is a lot of good in us too: honest sincerity, selflessness, and desire to help. I believe we are touching upon on something important here. Most people are very aware of what is right and what is wrong. So that awareness should be an essential foundation for our decisions. However, there is also a well-known saying that states that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

S.C.: ”Yes. Right and wrong. Good and evil. According to your definition, I am as old as the humankind. I have seen the rise of your species from apes to the current ruler of the earth. Along with that I have also seen that good and evil are relative – they are dependent on the perspective of the looker and the context. Time horizon also plays a big part.

According to the mankind’s current understanding, about 70 million years ago approximately 90% of the animals of that time became extinct. Today, there are at least 2 million different species of organism on Earth. It is estimated that there are more unknown species than known species. Three quarters of all the knows species are classified as animals and one quarter as plants. Life is even more miraculous since as the knowledge has increased, the line between the animate and inanimate as well as the line between a plant and an animal has become blurred. There are currently no unambiguous definitions. Ignorance is bliss after all! So, is knowledge therefore bad for you?

Let’s go back to the relativity and time horizon. So, was the extinction “good” or “bad” in your opinion?

P.: “Your reflection is very topical as it does look like that the humankind has most likely caused and will cause extinctions as well as a drastic decrease in the number of individuals per species. At least, large mammals and other animals that are visible to the naked eye have decreased significantly in the wild while the humans’ own biomass and that of animals they consume has grown radically in a couple of hundred years. If I sincerely think about what “good” should be done to this development, I’m not sure whether I should select a time horizon of 20 years, 200,000 years, or 20 million years. Is the right solution to strive to maintain the life on Earth in the current situation or to restore the situation of, for example, the 19th century or one’s own childhood? And are we talking about the situation as it truly was or our own extremely limited conceptions of the past and present on the earth. Or should we just continue and ignore the situation? Adapt to the consequences of the changes. And if a species called human doesn’t make it through? Or what should we do? You tell me. You are the wise one.

S.C.: The time horizon is perhaps the most essential perspective that limits the thinking of a living person. A politician will think about the re-election in four years’ time. You and other people think about the world and its change as well as your possibilities to take influence in your lifetime and within the next few generations. The outlook is at most 100–200 years. The outlook is limited to one’s own everyday life and stretched perhaps as far as few days, weeks or months. With good reason, we can call it selfish short-sightedness. As a result, good and bad are also easily defined as immediate and subjectively experienced effects of phenomena. And more specifically, as the effects that have an impact on yourself, your loved ones and your close circle. I don’t mean to offend, but the more distant an event is in terms of time, geography, culture or otherwise, the less it interests and affects you. This may not have been very helpful, but it’s all I can help you with.

I can only be a mirror and, on the other hand, talk to people in their imagination – just like I am doing now with you – about what they can direct their efforts on in their pursuit of goodness. The philosopher Socrates taught us that philosophy is not only something we think or talk about. Everyone’s true values can be seen in their actions and the life they’ve led, not in their words. For your part and within the limits of your resources, your choice of values and actions are your own.

P.: Perhaps in the time horizon, the need for philosophy, ideologies, beliefs and religions materializes. Us humans need visualizations of something timeless. Something meaningful and everlasting that we can strive for in this finite life. Signposts that are signaling towards a better self and a better world. Guidance and advice on what good and evil mean. How to live a good life. How to be a good person.

S.C.: Exactly. And when you think about your role in a framework that is bigger than your own life, remember to be honest and merciful. Don’t demand something from others that you cannot fulfil yourself. Don’t expect the humankind to understand such meaning of the universe that is still outside of the humanity’s reach. Continue the journey and take steps in the right direction. In the direction that you feel in your heart to be right.

During centuries, humankind has written many handbooks for better life. They have been written in the name of philosophy, religion and Gods. Even if you don’t want to believe in any God, you can’t deny that the spirit of the New Testament and the doctrines and ideas in the name of the part mortal and part God, Jesus, are mostly good in your opinion. Good guidance is good guidance, however obscure their origins may be.

You would like to make Christmas a celebration that reminds people of goodness and the pursuit of goodness, regardless of religion. Maybe you could let me, Santa Claus, be one of the unbiased, modern beacons towards better humanity. May there be a moment of childish wonder and sincere goodness in the human Christmases that you are all looking for.

Perhaps, today’s world emphasizes commercialism and leaves the original story of Christmas in the background. Or maybe that’s not the case at all. Again this Christmas, people will look for a retreat, closeness, spirituality, and meaning that you cannot but a price on. Christmas presents, donations, and friendly gestures at Christmas time pave the way for improvement.

S.C.: I hope you’ll continue the cooperation with me for many years to come. Don’t forget to try to live “as you preach”. Good night, Pekka. And merry Christmas to you, your loved ones, and your readers.

P.: Hhhrrrrrrggghhh…pfff…zzzz..